Homecoming
by TheMeepyFreak
Summary: "She had only been gone for a year, and her old life was already in ruins. Bree was determined to put together the broken pieces of her family before it was too late." AU filled with purposeful OOC Davenports and Dooley. WARNINGS: alcohol and wild parties. (I do not own Lab Rats.) PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Bree," the girl stopped, turning to face the source of the voice. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere," she replied, her own voice filled with more confidence than she felt. "Just go to sleep."

The boy crossed his arms, planting his feet further into the ground, "I am not stupid, Bree. I am not Adam."

Bree sighed as the boy continued talking, "You are going somewhere in the middle of the night with a backpack slung over your shoulder. You looked terrified and shocked when I called your name, and you are not telling me _where_ you are going."

He got quiet, "Are you running away?"

"Just go to sleep Chase," Bree responded gruffly. She did not need her little brother of all people to annoy her now.

Chase took her avoidance to his question as an affirmation, "Why? What did we- what did I do?"

"Chase-"

"I promise I will be different. I will actually pay attention to your stories about boys and your friends. I will even do your homework. Just tell me, and I-"

"Chase!"

Her voice echoed across the living room as the youngest bionic finally shut up. She could only hope that nobody woke up.

"It is not you. It is not anybody. I just need some time alone," she revealed, "to think."

"You can get alone time here," he whined softly.

"Chase..," Bree did not know what to say. "Why are you awake anyway? It is midnight."

The girl saw the slightest smile cross her brother's face as he cockily said, "I heard you. I am superior in some ways."

Curse Chase's bionic super hearing!

"I hope you do not grow a huger head when I am gone," Bree chuckled.

Chase's grin faded almost as quickly as it came, "You do not need to leave."

"You know I do," she retaliated. "I will grow insane if I am in this household any longer!"

At Chase's silence, Bree continued, "Do not tell anybody about this. Just act like you know nothing about me leaving."

"Bree-"

"Adam will blab. You know he does. He calls one question an interrogation. Leo does not understand. Mr. Davenport and Tasha would both just be furious."

" _I_ do not understand Bree," Chase said in defeat. He hated that phrase.

"You do not need to," the girl replied.

"I _will_ tell!" tears were gathering in his eyes. "Then, we will find you and bring you home."

The elder bionic look at her younger brother, scanning him, "No, you will not. You know you will not."

"How do you know?" the challenge was evident in his voice.

"Sure, you may be a tattletale, but you know that I want this. You know that I need this break. If you find me, I will just run again, and you know it."

Chase looked down, and Bree bit her lip in remorse. She was starting to regret her decision to leave. She never wanted her family to grieve for her. She hated seeing any of her family, especially her little brother, sad. To think that she was the cause of the sadness was too much for Bree. She did not want to be the cause of anything- one of her reasons for running.

She was planning on escaping the sadness and the tears. If it was not for Chase- stupid Chase- Bree could have been all the way to Paris by now, seeing the Eiffel Tower in all of its glory for the first time. She had planned everything so well: packed her backpack full of essentials (including $100,000 in hard cash) beforehand with nobody suspecting her, prepared for a waitressing or cashier job if she was ever short on cash, took off the GPS on her chip with her limited computer knowledge so that nobody could track her, and even turned off Eddy, so she could escape without any fuss. She could not give up now.

Bree was doing this for herself- not for anybody else.

Taking a deep breath, she whispered, "I love you Chasey. Never forget that. You are a great little brother, even if you are annoying at times."

The younger boy shuffled his feet, "I love you too Bee Bee."

His voice was so quiet that Bree almost did not hear him, but she knew that he had accepted that she would go. She could still feel the unvoiced beg to not leave him and the rest of the family, but she ignored it. Bree was older now, and she deserved her own freedom. She deserved a temporary break from everything.

Opening the door of her house, Bree paused and took a look back at what she was leaving behind. So many memories flowed through her head just focusing on the living room itself. She remembered when Mr. Davenport gave Bree her first phone on the couch and all the texting conversations that commenced shortly afterwards. Bree ate her first hot wing on the counter, pretending to be a robot so Mr. Davenport did not realise that she and her brothers were not actually freezing to death in the Arctic. When Bree and her brothers were finally accepted into the household, Tasha would often give Bree boy advice whilst cooking in the kitchen. Adam always intruded though, always ready to eat his post afternoon snack and whatnot.

Sighing, Bree closed her eyes as she remembered worse memories like when she was cyberbullied by Stephanie and overlooked by everybody but Tasha. That was her old life though. It was time for Bree to move on. It was time for Bree to discover herself without the tension of school, missions, friends, and/or brothers. She has had enough drama in her lifetime.

Walking out of the house onto the welcome mat, Bree felt the irony rush through her bones. Bree had never truly felt welcome in her own home. She was always the only girl in the family or the only one with an actual social life- the odd one out. Now, she would be lost in a crowd of people who did not know her. She would be able to be herself without being different. She would be able to live her dream.

"Bye Chase."

The door shut and with a slight breeze, Bree was gone.

 **Note: I am getting more regular with updates this year, and the plan is that this story will get updated weekly. I also have a Forum called "Role Call (Please)" which will contain weekly interviews of Lab Rats authors. An interview of daphrose (the Queen) is already up.**

 **Lastly, my new Beta (for all of my stories) is RandomYoutubeGirl. She is super nice and an amazing writer, so check her stories out.**

 **All there is left to say is HAPPY 2016!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

For a year, Bree had been travelling all over the world, window shopping in Paris, relaxing in the Bahamas, and even outbacking in Australia for a while. Super speed made everything easier, and Bree could finally feel the freedom she had been yearning for ever since she realized there was more to the world than the lab. However, Bree would be lying if she said she did not miss her family on her 'break' from life. Whilst riding on a camel in the desert, all she could think about was Chase's desire to go to Egypt. On the London Eye, she could almost see Adam entranced with the huge Ferris wheel, saying that it was way cooler and _way_ slower than the Ferris wheel in the Mission Creek annual carnival (which her family had only been to once). All the exotic cuisine and cute boys reminded Bree of Tasha, whilst various technology and inventions, even broken ones, reminded Bree of Leo and Mr. Davenport.

Soon, the memories overwhelmed Bree, and she decided that she _needed_ to come back home for her own sanity. Her acquired freedom was starting to feel like a responsibility and a burden rather than a choice. Bree no longer had fun exploring the world and fending for herself. She just wanted to go home, relax and not have to worry about meals. She wanted to reunite with the people she loved.

Bidding "Goodbye" to the Amazon, Bree ran to the small, familiar town. In under a second, butterflies filled her stomach as she stopped a block away from the Davenport household to walk the rest of the way. If Bree learned anything, it was to appreciate the little moments in life like this one. Taking things slow, though not the bionic's forte, made moments more memorable, and Bree definitely wanted to remember this moment.

One by one, her steps echoed in the empty street. Locked cars illuminated in the dark by street lamps created what seemed like a nonstop border between the road and the sidewalk. The sky was dark with no visible moon nor stars in the sky (though the lack of stars was probably the result of light pollution). It was not long before Bree saw a figure sitting on the sidewalk underneath a street lamp. The figure seemed to have a stack of multicoloured books next to him. As Bree inched closer, she realized that the figure was reading a book on his lap under the faint light. The figure had a paper positioned onto another book that he was writing on. The figure did not notice Bree, but she definitely noticed and recognised the figure, especially when she was basically beside him.

"Chase-"

The boy did not look up from his book nor paper as he nonchalantly responded as if practiced, "Adam's party is inside the house."

Bree sat down next to her brother who still insisted at not looking at her, "Adam is having a party? Did Mr. Davenport allow him to?"

"Of course not," Chase's brows furrowed into the book he wrote something down on the paper with the pencil. The dim light made Chase's writing unreadable to Bree. "He does not know."

"Adam is going to be in so much trouble," Bree smiled, remembering the old days when they used to get in trouble every day. It seemed stupid, but Bree missed Mr. Davenport and Tasha reprimanding her. That was another cost of the freedom Bree acquired. Nobody really cared about her but herself. Whenever she made a mistake, nobody told her anything. Everything was an experiment that she had to figure the answers to herself. Whilst that was refreshing in the beginning of her 'excursion', at the end, it was just exhausting.

Bree saw Chase bit his lip in confusion, running his hand through his hair, a habit she recognised and gained joy in witnessing. Everything was just like a year ago. Chase looked the same, he had the same habits, and he was still a nerd that constantly studied.

"Why would you-"

He cut himself off when he finally turned his head to where Bree was sitting. His jaw dropped towards the floor in shock as he analysed the person in front of him to make sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him.

"Bree," Chase toppled the elder girl with a hug, forgetting the paper, pencil, and book on his lap that fell onto the ground. He wrapped his arms around her back, burrowing his head into her shoulder.

"You have not grown a bit Chasey," she goodheartedly teased as she hugged Chase back.

To her surprise, Chase did not try to retaliate at all. Instead, he just hugged her tighter, latching onto Bree as long as he could. It was not until Bree let go of Chase did he finally let go of her and pull away from her. Tears streamed down his face, and his cries echoed in the tranquil night.

"Chase," Bree grew concerned. Her brother never cried. "What happened?"

The younger of the two wiped the tears off of his face, struggling to stop the oncoming sniffles, "I missed you a lot."

That answer made Bree more nervous. Chase only avoided questions she asked that upset him immensely. Usually, he preferred to be concise and straightforward.

"I missed you too."

As Chase regained his composure, Bree closed the open textbook on the ground filled with 'Multivariable Calculus' problems using the paper (with most of the problems solved) and pencil as a bookmark. She stacked the book on top of Chase's other books and picked up all of the books together, standing up.

Chase stood up in a rush beside her, "What are you doing?"

Bree sighed in her brother's direction as if the answer was obvious, "I am going inside the house. Why are you doing homework outside anyway?"

The younger bionic looked shocked, "Adam is having a party inside. Do not worry though. I usually do my homework here anyway."

"We are going inside," Bree mentally made a note to talk to Chase about doing homework outside with little light and no warmth later.

"Besides, you cannot just steal me for yourself," the grin on Bree's face was not reciprocated by Chase.

" _Where is Bree?" Mr. Davenport asked the rest of his family at the breakfast table._

" _She is not here?" Adam stopped eating for once in his life._

" _Maybe she is out shopping," Leo suggested. "When she is in a bad mood, she often shops to make herself feel better."_

 _That thought seemed to relax Mr. Davenport and Adam who was back to eating his 7_ _th_ _pancake, but Tasha was not content, "Did you try calling her?"_

" _She left her phone at home," Mr. Davenport replied. "I am sure that she is fine though."_

 _Tasha's eyes widened, "Do you hear yourself?_ She left her phone at home. _"_

 _Chase could feel the tension in the room increasing. He knew that Bree had run away, and it was killing him to not tell the rest of his family. He had to support Bree though. Even if his support did not reflect in his heart, Chase knew that she needed some alone time. He could see how miserable she was on her face before she left. He ached for his sister, but she was not happy in the household, and Chase would never do anything to purposefully prevent Bree's happiness._

 _Bree was his big sister. She had always comforted him when he was upset and supported him when it was necessary. Chase was just returning the favour. He was letting Bree have her freedom. She was 16 now. Plus, Bree was strong, with or without her bionics. He could tell from her backpack that she had prepared for almost every scenario, and she was even carrying the portable capsule (prototype) Mr. Davenport had just invented. She would be fine. Chase did not have to worry about her._

 _However, Chase knew that the rest of the family would not respect her decision like he did. He always confronted logic whilst the other members of his family, especially Adam, were very emotional. Logically, Bree running away made perfect sense and was alright. Emotionally, the same scenario was an outrage (one of the reasons Chase did not rely on emotions). His entire family was a volcano that would inevitably explode. All Chase could do was delay the eruption._

" _Why not wait until the evening before we start worrying about Bree?" he reasoned. "She probably just accidentally forgot her phone. She has done it before when she is in an argument with Caitlin."_

 _The rest of the family nodded at Chase's proposal though Chase could tell that Tasha was still on the edge. He had until evening to calm the entire family down before having to tell them that Bree run away. The calmer they were, the less intense the inevitable eruption would be._

 _Breakfast continued silently for once, other than Adam's loud and obnoxious chewing, until Leo excused himself from the meal, having finished at least 5 pancakes drenched in syrup. Tasha took that as her cue to say the usual weekly speech before Leo physically left the kitchen._

" _Kids, I know that it is a Saturday, and you want to have fun, but you_ have _to complete your homework. Leo, you have the potential to get A's, and I_ know _that you do not have anything planned for today as of now. Maybe if you finish your homework early, we can talk about getting the Pig Zombie game on your phone."_

 _That gained Leo's full attention. He had been asking for that game for over a month now though the game required money to install._

" _Adam and Chase, I know you both have training today, but that is still no excuse. I want both your homework finished by today too."_

 _Chase opened his mouth to interrupt before Tasha continued._

" _I know you have probably finished your homework Chase, but that does not mean that you cannot help Adam with his…"_

 _Tasha droned on, but Chase stopped listening. He basically knew the speech by heart now. Every Saturday, Tasha wanted Chase to help Adam with his homework, and whilst Chase liked teaching, Adam was_ impossible _. He did not learn. Everything went through one ear and out the other._

 _Usually, Leo distracted Adam doing something 'fun', but Leo seemed determined to do his homework today. If not to learn the material, then to finally get the Pig Zombies game. However, that meant that Chase had to deal with the brother-throwing Adam all day._

" _I am going to the lab," Chase informed his family before riding the elevator down alone. The day felt quiet already with no Bree constantly talking about the school gossip and Eddy insulting her meanwhile._

 _Eddy._

 _Eddy was deactivated. Bree deactivated Eddy._

 _Chase automatically starting typing into the main lab computer, reactivating the despised emoticon before anybody noticed. On the lab screen, the usual black lines came together, and Chase sighed when he heard the annoying laugh he learned to hate growing up._

 _His heart was racing as he made sure Mr. Davenport would not notice that he was on the main computer before maintaining some sort of position that resembled normality when Adam and Mr. Davenport came down. Chase felt extremely nervous as if he had just committed a crime when he did not. Or did he?_

 _He was helping his sister escape, covering her tracks even further. The rest of the family did not even know that she was gone! Bree left Chase in a horrible position as a witness. The extra knowledge, for once, haunted him. Chase never thought he would admit this, but he did not want to know more. He wanted to be oblivious to the situation for once, so he could 'enjoy' training and teaching Adam without the thought looming in his mind._

 _Bree had run away, and his family was going to kill him for knowing._


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The door was open when Bree ran towards it. Eddy seemed to be completely gone, and the house was left defenseless against strangers though Bree doubted that anybody cared. Something in Bree told her to leave. Confronting Chase had been smooth enough, but he made her feel worried inside. Adam was different though. Whereas Chase would usually try to hide internal disappointment, Adam would show external anger (though it was never long lasting). Bree did not show if she was capable of dealing with that now, but she had no choice. Glancing behind her, Bree could see Chase rushing to the doorway. Taking a deep breath, she finally walked inside, making sure Chase was following behind her.

She was automatically engulfed in the party less than a meter from the door. Everybody danced (or really just jumped up and down) around her, completely ignoring her. Bree suddenly felt the urge to do the same and blend in even more with the crowd like she used to a year ago. She was a girl on a mission though, and the books in her arms did not help.

Putting the books down on an empty space in the couch, Bree started to look around for her elder brother. As she passed the kitchen, she noticed a few empty bottles of alcohol next to a huge vat of punch. It suddenly made sense as to why everybody was acting crazy at the party. Nobody could get that much joy to jumping up and down to what vaguely resembled music.

"Bree," Chase put his hand on Bree's shoulder, "let us go out."

She was so glad that Chase had the sense to not get himself drunk. He was too young. Maybe that judgement was a bit misplaced because at Chase's age (a year ago), Bree had gone to similar parties herself to try to be popular, but Chase was thankfully never invited to such parties before, only Adam. By throwing a party in the house, Adam was just setting a terrible example for Chase and Leo. Leo… He was a few months younger than Chase. Bree hoped that he was not drunk either.

"Where is Leo?" Bree turned to Chase with a serious expression on her face.

Chase smiled a little, "Upstairs. Do not worry."

The youngest bionic ran through the crowd, climbing the stairs two by two as if avoiding something. Bree did not mind the change of pace though. Being the fastest person in the world, everyone had a tendency to seem too slow. Instead, Bree focused on following her brother whilst scanning the various people they both passed. Nobody recognised Bree, but she definitely identified some familiar faces, including Caitlin, her (former?) best friend. She did not even notice when Chase stopped abruptly on the stairs until she bumped into him.

"Go," Bree snarled at him, and Chase threw a pleading look back at her.

Bree was done with Chase's dramatics though. He seemed to want to avoid her meeting Adam and Leo, as if desiring to steal her himself. Bree was not an object nor was she just Chase's sister. She had two other brothers that she longed to reunite with despite the drunken party and Chase's annoying tendencies. She had been gone for a year, not just a few hours.

Nudging Chase forward a little harder than intended, Bree watched as Chase toppled over the stairs onto the top floor, almost scratching the boy standing there. Bree felt her cheeks go red and was about to apologise as Chase regained his balance and stood up until the boy turned around. Trent.

"So the loser decided to show up after all," Trent's smile was sadistic, and Bree felt disgusted inside.

"It is my house," Chase muttered, but even through the loud noises, Bree could hear the remark.

"You are right," Trent boomed, apparently close enough to hear Chase over all the noise too, "but you do not seem to be having fun."

Chase's eyes widened, yet his voice was still shockingly quiet, "I am having so much fun. I do not need any more fun."

"I think you do," Trent said as he punched him in the jaw.

As Chase fell, Bree could not help but let out a gasp, drawing Trent's attention to her. She could tell that he recognised her but was too drunk to truly know who she was. Even then, Trent was swaying side to side with a drink in his hand, grinning madly.

"Here you go nerd," Trent poured the contents of his cup onto Chase who was struggling to sit up. "Now, I have an excuse to refill my cup."

The bully walked away, and Bree felt anger surge inside of her. She helped Chase up, trying to ignore how terrible he smelled drenched in alcohol. Trent had never acted this mean (at least to Chase) before Bree ran away. It made her wonder what Chase had done to anger him. Chase did not even try to defend himself as he did before. Spike did not even come. Chase just looked resigned, and that bothered Bree the most.

Bree dragged Chase out of the crowd over to the door of Leo's old room, following a hunch that he still resided in the room. She knocked on the door, hoping for Leo to open the door, but the door remained closed. Bree sighed and tried to turn the doorknob, only to find the door locked. She did not know what to do. Chase was behind her, mute and still as a statue whilst Leo was in front of her, separated by a door. If Adam was here, he would use his bionics to break the door off of the frame and just waltz inside. Bionics…

"Chase," Bree commanded, "use your molecular kinesis to unlock the door."

"Bree-"

"Just do it!"

The youngest bionic stepped towards the door in front of Bree and put his hand on the doorknob. He closed his eyes, and after what seemed like forever, there was an audible click. Chase slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door, motioning Bree to go inside without saying a single word.

" _Eddy was deactivated, but that does not mean that the security cameras stopped recording. We just need to code some to retrieve the feed," Mr. Davenport grinned as he started typing in the keyboard corresponding to the lab's main computer._

 _Chase gulped in fear, scared of his family's reaction to the video. The entire day, Chase had tried to subtly hide any evidence of Bree's disappearance. Adam did not even notice when Chase disappeared for about 10 minutes of training to convince Eddy not to tell anybody that Bree turned him off. Of course, the obnoxious robot did not listen._

 _Pressure was piling up near Chase's heart as the video started loading on the computer. He had been the last to talk to Bree before she left, so he was technically responsible. He should have convinced Bree to stay. He should have begged her more and not given up so easily. He should have deleted the security camera footage._

" _There will be no sound in the video since this is only the video camera footage, but at least, we should be able to see Bree leaving the house."_

 _Mr. Davenport pulled up the Living Room feed and started the feed from the beginning of yesterday night. The silence was killing Chase on the inside as Mr. Davenport started fast forwarding throughout the entire night. The lab was silent except for the slight buzzing of the computers which only irritated Chase at the moment._

 _His family was about to find out the truth, and Chase had no clue what would happen next; the genius hated not knowing something._

 _Finally, Bree appeared in the Living Room in the attire Chase remembered her in. Her brown hair was tied up into a single, slightly messy ponytail, and she had a black backpack hanging off of one shoulder. She kept on eyeing the door in her faded jeans and pink shirt. It was obvious that Bree was going out somewhere for a long time._

 _The owner of Davenport Industries slowed down the video to normal speed as tears danced across the surface of his eyes. It did not take a genius to figure out that Bree was running away, nor did it take a genius to know that she had been planning to for a while. The teen looked so determined and hopeful that even Chase could not help but release a few tears._

It is not you. It is not anybody. I just need some time alone.

 _Then, Chase watched the inevitable occur on the screen. His past self in the video entered the Living Room from the direction of the lab elevator. Bree did not pay attention to the video Chase until video Chase's lips moved in a familiar pattern._

Bree.

 _Video Chase continued to talk, but Chase did not even attempt to read his own lips as the conversation echoed in his memory. He watched the video version of himself cross his arms at Bree's response to his first question as video Chase muttered another phrase. Bree responded back to him, her eyes filled with the fire that Chase had noticed when he talked to her last night. There was no persuading her not to leave. She was too stubborn._

 _Chase turned his focus from the video to his family. Mr. Davenport's posture in the chair became much straighter as all of his muscles tensed up. His dominant hand was wrapped around the edge of the table, clenching it with all the strength he could muster. Chase could see the anger burning up inside of Mr. Davenport as he struggled to continue watching the video without throttling Chase._

 _Leo was still, his face devoid of any emotion. His skin was paler than usual, and his eyes were stuck wide with shock. He was grabbing his pants, staring at the video screen in disbelief. Chase could not read Leo as well as he could read the others in his family, but it was obvious that Leo was upset._

 _Adam, in Chase's opinion, was the worst. Even though Adam's fists were clenched, his face betrayed him. The smile that seemed to be permanently glued onto Adam's face was gone. Now, there was only a frown that made Chase grimace. Adam was biting into his lip, and his eyes were bloodshot, growing redder as each second passed by. It startled Chase. The youngest bionic had lived with Adam his entire life, and he still had never seen Adam like this before. However, somehow, Chase knew exactly what Adam was feeling- betrayed._

 _Adam felt that Chase_ betrayed _him._

 _As Bree left through the door on the video, Chase could not help but note how quiet everything was. Mr. Davenport turned off the video feed and got out of the chair he was sitting in without making any noise. He stood as tall as he could, towering Chase by some but not as much as Adam. Chase felt his own knees go weak as he realised Leo, Adam, and Mr. Davenport were all staring at him. He took a deep breath._ The calm before the storm.

" _You knew," Mr. Davenport growled in Chase's face._

" _Sh-sh-she said th-that she n-n-needed a br-break."_

 _Chase's voice was pitiful._

" _Be quiet!" the adult in the room yelled as Chase dodged a small laser from Adam. "You_ knew _Bree had left, and not only did you allow her to go, but you did not tell us all morning! We were all worried and out of our minds, and you decided to what? - joke around with Adam?"_

 _Mr. Davenport lowered his voice, unleashing more venom, "You do not deserve to live here. You are a monster, just an experiment. No son of mine would be so heartless. You are worse than Spike!"_

 _Suddenly, Mr. Davenport stopped talking as his eyes widened at the words he had just muttered to the youngest bionic. Chase could tell that Mr. Davenport was struggling on the inside, but the adult did not retract any of his words._

" _I am going to tell Tasha what happened with Bree," Mr. Davenport raced to the elevator, leaving Chase alone with Adam and Leo._

 _A few moments went by with both Adam and Leo staring at Chase in silence as Chase took the small break to try to clear his mind of what Mr. Davenport said. Chase knew that his father was just angry at the situation. However, it was hard to shake off the feeling of disappointment._

" _How could you?"_

 _Adam sounded and looked like an innocent puppy, and Chase felt even worse than he had before if that was even possible._

 _The eldest bionic picked Chase up by his shirt with Chase's legs dangling below him, "I thought you were my brother. I thought you cared."_

 _Chase felt tears overwhelm his vision, "I do care Adam. I do!"_

" _If you cared," Adam took a deep breath, "you would have not let Bree leave the door."_

 _Before Chase could respond, he was tossed across the lab, his head banging on the wall before he fell into unconsciousness._


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Bree was nothing short of shocked when she walked into Leo's room. As soon as Chase closed the door behind them, the entire room was silent except for the sound of multiple guns firing. Leo was leaning back in a comfortable black chair, his fingers grazing along the controller with expertise Bree never recalled him having before.

"Gather up on the East side," Leo's voice made Bree jump a bit in surprise.

It took her awhile to realise that Leo had not noticed Chase or her in the room yet and was talking to his "friends" in a headset. She could not believe that this was the same boy who was too afraid to watch a ghost movie a year ago. Now, he was a ruthless killer, making and implementing strategies to defeat another unknown team. He was no longer afraid of blood nor any kind of social interaction. In fact, Leo seemed too used to both things.

Chase, on the other hand, grimaced when he looked at the screen. He would flinch every time a gunshot echoed in the room (probably because of his super hearing). He seemed incredibly uncomfortable in Leo's room, continuously glancing at the door as if planning to escape. It was obvious that he did not want to leave Bree though, so he resorted to shuffling his feet in place as if he did not belong in the room. Below him, a pile of alcohol was forming from his dripping clothes and hair.

Slowly, Bree approached her step brother and tapped on his shoulder. She started lightly, but he did not notice being engulfed in his game, so Bree increased the intensity of the tap. She was too surprised to say anything.

Covering the microphone on his headset with one hand, Leo did not even glance away from the screen, "Can't you see that I am busy?"

"Leo," Bree bit her lip, suddenly gaining the courage to confront the boy in front of her.

The boy finally turned away from the screen and stared at Bree. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Skillet, I got to go now. Take over the attack. Put a distractor at North face and then, attack with defenses going southwest. Remember: East is our domain," Leo instructed as he finally turned off the game.

Bree looked at Chase who only shrugged in response to her confusion, as if this was normal.

"You came back," his surprisingly deep voice held an element of awe as he swiveled his c hair to stare at Bree.

She swore Leo momentarily glared at Chase for a second as he said, "We thought you were gone forever."

"Not forever," Bree replied. "I just needed a little break."

"Right," the skeptical tone in his voice made Bree frown, and the room remained uncomfortably silent for a few minutes.

"You are not partying," Bree stated, secretly relieved that Leo was not involved with the party.

"I am not that sort of person."

Why was this so hard? Bree always remembered Leo being the easiest to talk to out of her three brothers. Adam always talked about nonsense that Bree did not want to think about, and Chase, though easier to talk to than Adam, sucked at normal, everyday conversation, being unsure of what to say. Leo was great at talking to others, always having something interesting to say. He kept the atmosphere light (unlike Chase who could not help but be serious) which Bree appreciated.

Now, Leo seemed to have lost that spunk. He was taciturn, saying as little as he could to answer Bree's questions. Plus, Leo kept glancing at the blank screen in the room like he was disinterested in the conversation anyway and wanted to go back to his video games. He was so awkward that Bree could not stand it. She just wanted to grab the boy by his shoulders and yell in his face to shock him back to normal. Bree liked the old Leo better, the one who always gave her the time of day no matter how stupid her problems were.

Also, the new obsession with video games freaked Bree out. Sure, Leo played video games occasionally, but Leo usually only played video games when there was nothing else to do, and whenever something else came up, Leo was the first to abandon the game. Now, he was leading realistic shooting games (which he would never admit he was scared of before) and not even blinking an eye when somebody got killed. Bree could not even fully comprehend this drastic change in Leo, her actual best friend (since all Bree and Caitlin used to do before was fight).

"I am going to find Adam," Bree said only to fill the silence.

Leo only nodded and glared at the door, almost willing Bree to leave. His coldness left her with chills down her spine.

She took a deep breath, "Chase."

The mentioned boy looked up in response after having been ignored the entire conversation. He was trying to blend into the wall and be as quiet as possible. Bree reckoned that if he could turn invisible, he would have a long time ago.

"Stay with Leo."

Both Chase and Leo looked ready to kill her though neither wanted to defy her.

"You promise you will not run away again," Chase quietly muttered in the silence like a lost toddler would.

Bree looked at her younger brother in surprise as Leo scoffed on the side.

"I promise."

Leaving the room into the chaos ahead, Bree heard another gunshot before she closed the door behind her.

 _Leo, if anything, felt betrayed. He could not believe that Chase would just get Bree go out the door without even trying to convince her to stay. Bree was Chase's sister. How could he just let her go without any emotion?_

" _You know what Chase?" said boy looked at Leo, and suddenly Leo was overcome with anguish. Adam and Mr. Davenport had already expressed their anger to Chase the day before. Leo did not want to add to that pain._

 _He could not help it though. This was the boy who let Bree go without even a complaint. This was the boy who, despite his sad expression, could not care enough for his elder sister-_ their _elder sister._

" _You are a robot."_

 _That was the least Leo could say before he could emotionally restrain himself. Leo did not_ hate _Chase. It took a lot for Leo to genuinely hate somebody. He was just too overwhelmed to deal with Chase. His emotions were too confusing as his love for his step brother and step sister conflicted. He did not know what to do, so he just poured a bowl of cereal for himself._

 _He knew that he was being cold, but that was better than rightfully bugging Chase like Adam started doing as soon as he entered the Living Room. It was also a lot easier on Leo's behalf. Leo did not have to worry about the guilt he usually felt after exploding on somebody he was angry with nor did he have to deal with the consequences._

" _Adam," Leo heard Chase's desperate reply at an unfriendly 'Bionic Brother Toss', "stop it."_

 _Leo refused to look up from his bowl of cereal._

" _Why would you care?" Adam retorted. "You did not seem to care when Bree left the door."_

 _Chewing his cereal, Leo grimaced at the insult. He had never seem Adam so angry before, and Adam's reaction the day before had been brutal. Before yesterday, Leo had never seen the eldest bionic shed a tear. However, after Chase passed out from being tossed across the lab, Adam fell down onto his knees and burst out in tears._

 _Leo had never been great at comforting anybody, nevertheless the strongest person in the world. He just felt intrusive, watching such an emotional moment. Leo awkwardly shuffled his feet, not knowing what to do. His mom was the one who specialised at comforting people. The most Leo could do was make a person laugh at his stupidity. Adam definitely did not want nor need to laugh now._

 _As Leo considered his options, he inched towards the door. It would not be_ that _rude if he left the lab now. Right?_

" _I am a lousy brother."_

 _Leo stopped walking and stood still. Time seemed to freeze as Leo desperately attempted to gather his own emotions. He did not know what to say. He did not know what to do. Leo was in unfamiliar territory, and he just wanted to escape._

 _He could not leave Adam to believe a lie though, "You are one of the best brothers I know."_

 _Adam sniffled, and Leo felt even more awkward, if that was even possible._

" _I lost both of them."_

 _Leo had never seen Adam so serious in his life. The goofball had a permanent frown on his face and tears streaked his cheeks, almost as if out of a horror movie. Leo just wanted this nightmare to end. He wanted to mope for Bree on his own. However, Adam was closer to Bree than anybody except for maybe Chase._

" _You still have Chase," even Leo knew that was a poor retort._

 _Adam sighed, looking at the unconscious body in the corner of the lab, "Do I?"_

 _Biting his lip, Leo just stared at Adam. Adam was right (for once). They had lost both Bree_ and _Chase in one video. The Chase Leo knew would have never let Bree leave without a proper explanation. The only logical explanation (The old Chase relished in those.) was that this was not the Chase Leo knew. This was a different Chase, a Chase that Leo was set on ignoring._

 _As Adam continued battling tears, Leo ran up to his room. He could not handle the heavy emotions anymore. He could not handle being in the same room as Chase, unconscious or not. Like a baby, Leo ran up to his mom and cried in her grasp. Adam joined them both after a few minutes. It was only when Chase came up (after about an hour) did the three separate. Adam gave Chase a permanent death glare that made Leo wince even if he was not on the receiving end. His mom went up to the master bedroom, most likely to comfort Mr. Davenport. Leo did not acknowledge Chase's presence._

 _Leo did not acknowledge Chase's presence until Leo called Chase a robot, and even then, Leo was not planning to talk to his "brother" anytime soon._

 _As Leo ate the last spoonfuls of cereal, he smiled at his mom, "I am going to my room now."_

 _His mom nodded at him, her lips pursed at the tension in the room. Leo just ignored the two fighting boys as he put his bowl in the sink and raced upstairs into his room._

 _He did not want to deal with anybody now. It felt strange because Leo was usually a very social person. Before he met Adam, Bree, and Chase, he was a loner, but that did not mean that he did not long to have company all hours of the day. That was why Leo was so glad of the idea of having new step-siblings when he first discovered Adam, Bree, and Chase. He finally had somebody to hang with all hours of the day and night._

 _Now, Leo was avoiding the only people he really spent time with- his siblings. He suddenly seemed to embrace the loneliness, treasuring it even. Glancing around his clean room (When did his mom even have the time?), Leo sighed and sat down facing the lone TV in his room (the perks of having a billionaire as a step-dad). The only time Leo had ever felt like this before was when his biological dad-_

 _Determined to get the thought out of his head, Leo turned on the TV. He cringed as the man onscreen stabbed the woman, blood flying everywhere. With speed that could rival Bree's, Leo changed the channel to one that he loved. He_ hated _realistic gory shows._


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Bree was always the closest to Adam. She and Adam were the two eldest of the family, and that resulted in a special bond between the two that she did not share with Leo or even Chase. Around Adam, Bree never felt responsible for her actions. Unlike the other two, Adam was Bree's elder brother. She did not need to act strong around him. She could be herself.

As she made her way past through the crowded stairs, Bree was confronted with fear. Both Chase and Leo were extremely different from a year ago. What about Adam? She could not imagine Adam as anyone but her goofy and gullible elder brother who was a child at heart. He always depended on her, yet at the same time, he was the most independent out of all four siblings, including Chase. Adam may be dimwitted, but he knew what mattered, and that was what Bree loved most about him.

However, Bree realised, Adam did change. The old Adam would have never hosted a wild party in the house without Mr. Davenport's permission, especially one with alcohol. The old Adam would restrain Bree from any party (or social gathering as she would tell Mr. Davenport) and tell her not to drink the 'magic juice' because then, she would go crazy. At the time, Adam's antics annoyed her. She was not 5; she knew not to drink alcohol (not that she ever wanted to). However, she longed for Adam's weird and immature guidance.

She felt alone and peculiar being among too many drunk people who lost control of themselves ages ago. She barely recognised her own house in the chaos. Dodging through the people was the worst part though. Bree was graceful thanks to all her super speed training but even she could not successfully weave through people. It was only a matter of time before she bumped into somebody.

"I am sorry," she muttered as she glanced apologetically at her victim.

Of course it just happened to be a cute boy.

"No problem," the boy smiled at her in a way that made her giggle hopelessly.

Good job Bree. Now, he thinks you are an idiot!

"Hey-"

She stopped when she noticed the cup of spiked punch in his hand. It was hard to believe that a boy like him would purposefully drink or even attend a party like this. He seemed so nice and in control of himself unlike all the other messes that surrounded the both of them. It was as if alcohol had no effect on him which was a weird phenomenon in and of itself.

Following her line of sight, the boy held the glass up, "Do you want a drink? I know it is underage drinking, but you can have fun once in a while."

His eyebrows moved eagerly like a sales person as his smile got larger if that was even possible. He was definitely a charmer, and Bree could not help but fall into his spell. She did not like him like her former crushes, but she still felt somewhat comforted around him. He had such a fun and trustworthy vibe that Bree could not resist responding.

"No. I do not drink."

"Shame," his smile disappeared as he took a sip from his drink. "You really should try it, at least once. I can make sure you do not do anything too crazy if you accidentally drink too much."

Bree smiled, "No. I actually just wanted to talk to my brother. I cannot do that if I am drunk."

She let out a pathetic chuckle as the boy nodded understandingly.

One of his eyebrows lifted higher than the other, "Adam is in the kitchen or dining room, hard to see from here only because of the enormous amount of people. I can lead you to him if you like."

"Thank you so much," she grabbed his arm to avoid losing him in the crowd.

As he started walking slowly with Bree in tow, the boy responded, "My pleasure. Anything for a beautiful lady such as yourself."

He was _definitely_ a charmer.

He continued, "Sometime, you should come over to my house and bring your brothers too. My dad really wants to meet some of my new friends."

Bree looked up surprised at that. The invitation itself was unsettling, involving both her and her brothers. That was strange. Then, he had called her a friend. Even though Bree just met the boy, she found herself nodding a bit to his words. Maybe parties this crowded were not too bad; she _had_ managed to make a friend in the madness.

She was a bit wary about the boy, but it only took Bree a few seconds to determine that she was insane. He was just a sweet and average boy, and she was acting paranoid. Plus, it was not like he could do anything to her anyway. She was bionic for goodness sakes! She could take him down in a second.

"You never did tell me your name," Bree finally said, ending the comfortable 'silence' between them.

The boy stopped and smiled, "Adam is right over there."

Bree forgot to look in the direction the boy pointed towards, only noticing the sudden movement of his arm as he moved away from her grasp.

"Also, my name is Marcus."

Marcus sighed, "See you later Bree!"

Only later would Bree realise that she never told Marcus her name nor her brother's.

 _As soon as Marcus got to school carrying his guitar, he knew that today would be the day that he finally persuaded the Davenports to become his friends. Nobody could resist a guitar. Plus, Marcus would make sure that they noticed, playing the guitar only when they are near. The three bionics were too nice to deny at least giving him a compliment which Marcus could easily lead to a conversation._

 _Setting up in the middle of the main hallway on the circular bench, Marcus swung the guitar around his shoulder and began the tedious process of tuning the guitar. Honestly, Marcus had never played a guitar before in his life, so tuning was more difficult than he suspected. Fortunately, his super senses and intelligence helped in determining how far to adjust the machine heads to allow the strings to produce the right note. Then, Marcus let his super intelligence guide him in playing a few chords before settling down and waiting for his new friends._

 _Marcus had been spying on the three Davenports from as soon as Douglas admitted him into Mission Creek High. Adam was so gullible and stupid that it was hard to believe that he was in high school. The eldest bionic was failing most if not all of his classes. Plus, he mostly hung around his siblings as if oblivious to the fact this was against the social norm. Bree succumbed to social norms too much, making friends easily by blending in with other high school students. She was an average student if not a bit socially awkward. Finally, Chase was the odd one out. He had no friends but his family, and he had the best grades in the school even whilst taking advanced classes. This made him a target for bullying though._

 _All three would be easy to manipulate. They all had their strengths and weakness. However, one weakness they are shared was that they trusted people too easily, and Marcus would be proud to utilise that to his benefit._

 _It was not long before the Davenports arrived to school. As soon as Marcus saw them though, his mood dampened immensely. Bree was absent from the group, and Adam separated from Chase as soon as they both came through the doorway. Adam seemed upset with Chase, even daring to trip Chase as he abandoned Chase. Marcus found himself fumbling to play his guitar as he had planned. However, Marcus slowly regained control of his thoughts and properly played the guitar in a manner that impressed even himself._

" _Wow," Chase said in amazement as soon as Marcus finished playing._

 _Marcus could not help but grin at his plan's success._

 _Chase smiled back at him, "You are really good."_

" _Thanks," Marcus responded. "You know that you are the only person who has talked to me in this school."_

 _He looked up for dramatics, "I hate being the new kid!"_

" _Yeah, we- I used to be the new kid that no one talked to. Now I'm just the vaguely familiar kid that no one talks to," Chase grimaced at that as if just realising his social status in the school._

 _Marcus could not help but let out a small chuckle, "Chase, you ever play guitar?"_

" _No," Chase admitted, "but I have always wanted to."_

 _Taking the guitar off of himself, Marcus smiled, "Here Chase. You want to give it a go?"_

" _W- yeah- yeah. Sure. Why not?"_

 _Unsurprisingly, Chase's irises turned green as he inspected the guitar. Marcus could see Chase's brain gain familiarity with the guitar before Chase set his hands properly, ready to play. As Chase played lead expert guitar lines, Marcus feigned shock. Marcus even bulged his eyes extra and let his mouth drop the lowest he could to seem more convincing._

" _Uh..,' Chase stuttered whilst quickly handing Marcus his guitar back. "What do you know? Beginner's luck."_

 _His monotone voice only made the scene more humourous, and Marcus could not help but smile._

" _You are a natural bro! You need to teach me sometime."_

" _I barely know how to play," Chase responded softly in a way that convinced Marcus that he could manipulate Chase easily._

" _We should still jam together," Marcus grinned innocently. "We just need to find someplace to practice. I live in a pretty small place, so…"_

 _That was a huge lie on Marcus's part, but Chase did not even doubt Marcus, falling into the trap._

" _Well, you know, Marcus, I have pretty big place. We can jam there."_

 _As the bell rang, Marcus grabbed his guitar and glanced at Chase, "Great. See you after school."_

 _Before Chase could correctly process what he said, Marcus left, smirking mischievously because of his accomplishment. As the rest of the day went by, he could not help but think of what to do when he went to the Davenport mansion. Marcus could not bug the house immediately. He needed to gain everybody's trust first. Ideally, Chase or somebody would show him the lab first, so finding Marcus in the lab would not be suspicious. However, Marcus knew that would not happen with only one visit. He would need to play it safe this visit and charm the Davenports._

 _When the bell signaled the end of the school day, Marcus was the first out of his seat. To say he was excited to go inside the mansion would be an understatement. It did not take long for Chase to come, but Chase made both of them wait for his siblings. The excruciating long wait ended only when Leo, Chase's step brother, came rushing up to them._

" _Adam is not coming with us," Leo bit his lip before looking at Marcus suspiciously. "What is_ he _doing here?"_

 _Automatically, Marcus decided that he hated Leo._

" _Hi. I am Marcus," he introduced himself. It pained to smile in front of Leo, but Chase was nearby._

" _I know," Leo exasperatedly replied. "We have gym together. And study hall. And also chemistry. We are_ lab _partners."_

" _Oh," Marcus suppressed a growl. "I… did not know that."_

 _Leo only sighed as Chase interrupted the exchange, "Marcus is coming over. We both are going to jam together."_

" _Well, I am a jammer as well."_

 _Marcus wanted to face palm at Leo's comment._

" _My rocking is only eclipsed by my rolling."_

 _Chase chuckled, "Leo, your mom said you played the clarinet for three weeks until you swallowed the reed."_

 _Marcus let out a breath he did not know he was holding as Leo grumbled, "I passed it."_

 _An awkward silence passed as the three just walked. Both Chase and Leo had grim countenances suddenly befall their face, and Marcus could not help but be confused. Just a second ago, both were lively and happy, yet now, it seemed like all the positive emotions were a mask. Something had happened to them both, and Marcus hated not knowing what it was. Marcus was an android with super smarts. He was not used to being clueless._

 _It was not long before the three boys reached the Davenport mansion, and Marcus looked around in awe. Their house was_ huge _and even that was a bit of an understatement. The living room itself was extremely spacious, yet it contained a flat screen TV, a few couches, and some tables._

 _Marcus just started tuning his guitar, trying to avoid being awkward or weird in the rich house. Chase fortunately did not seem to notice Marcus's excessive enthusiasm as Chase dismissed himself to look for another guitar._

 _Leo, on the other hand, was giving Marcus the stink eye, and Marcus had the urge to break his guitar and blame in on Leo. The perky boy annoyed him to no end, and it would be amazing to turn his family against him. Leo would be an outcast, and everybody would hate him. It would be perfect revenge for the suspicion the small boy aroused against Marcus. Leo would deserve it._

 _However, Marcus could not help but reminisce back to the walk to the Davenport mansion. Both Leo and Chase had gotten uncharacteristically quiet, and their faces displayed a sadness that made Marcus's robotic heart pound in sympathy. Marcus would get Leo back for Leo's interference in Marcus's plan but not today. It was only Marcus's first day in the Davenport household anyway. He had more than enough time._

" _Where were you born? When is your birthday? Who is the president of Venezuela?!" Leo burst out._

 _In the corner of his eye, Marcus saw Chase enter the room with a guitar that put his to shame._

" _I do not know," Marcus looked at Leo weirdly to subtly make Leo and his opinions seem insane._

" _Aha!" Leo's declaration only confused Marcus. "So you are not from Venezuela."_

 _Marcus only rolled his eyes as Chase dragged Leo to the side of the living room. They both whispered violently at each other, so it was obvious the two were arguing. Fortunately, Marcus had bionic hearing, so he could listen in to the conversation._

" _You are making a big mistake," Marcus grit his teeth as Leo continued. "I mean, you have only been in the real world for a little while. There is still a lot of stuff you do not know."_

" _Look Leo," Chase replied impatiently, "I am not going to run my playdates past you. Hel-lo! Genius!"_

 _Marcus had never been so thankful for Chase's ego._

 _Leo sighed, "What you have is book smarts. I have street smarts. And I have got to watch what is happening on the street."_

 _Chase only glared at Leo, and surprisingly, Leo got the hint and shook his head in disappointment. Marcus could not help but stare at Leo as he trotted upstairs hopelessly. Marcus even jumped a little in fear when Chase appeared right beside him with his guitar._

" _Come on," Chase's voice was distant and more cautious than before. "Let us play."_

 _Marcus was going to kill Leo, not during this visit and maybe not even during the next visit either. However, the twerp was going to suffer whether he was emotionally well or not._


End file.
